Legendary Frybread Drive-In: "House of Stray Cats," by Eric Gansworth

by Cynthia Leitich Smith
Sandy June's Legendary Frybread Drive-In is a magical place where Indigenous teens can find love, support, comfort, and community — no matter where in space or time they come from.

Here are links to our lists for the first nine selections in this collection:
Maybe It Starts, House of Stray Cats, Mvskoke Joy, Game Night, Look Away, Patent Red, Braving the Storm, You Had One Job, Heart Berry
15 words 1 learner

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. dispossession
    the removal of someone occupying a home or land
    But there were occasional costs—mostly temporary dispossession.
  2. domain
    territory over which rule or control is exercised
    I maintained my private domain by welcoming the strays whenever my mom informed me of a new one.
  3. resurrect
    restore from a depressed, inactive, or unused state
    This year, they resurrected the midnight movies.
  4. simultaneously
    at the same instant
    I was always afraid to say her tribe’s name out loud, because it seemed like they went by two or three different names simultaneously, depending on who you were talking to.
  5. negotiate
    discuss the terms of an arrangement
    Sadie had negotiated for her cornbread debut with the legendary grandparents who made the big decisions at Sandy June’s.
  6. divulge
    make known to the public information previously kept secret
    Like Sandy June’s location, Fireball news was all word of mouth, divulged with the greatest of discretion.
  7. discretion
    the trait of judging wisely and objectively
    Like Sandy June’s location, Fireball news was all word of mouth, divulged with the greatest of discretion.
  8. protocol
    code of correct conduct
    My mom had protocols to go overboard with the Stray Cats but also be very subtle in our generosity.
  9. vinyl
    shiny, tough, and flexible plastic
    Two vinyl cushions perched on benches so you could even sleep there.
  10. powwow
    a council of or with Native Americans
    You might see cousins of friends at Picnic or regional powwows.
  11. confirmation
    information that verifies
    Not quite a confirmation, but an invitation to join my journey on the road to acceptance.
  12. begrudge
    be envious of or feel annoyance toward
    Said she lived most of her life trying to be the person everyone else wanted. Can’t begrudge her.
  13. impress
    have a powerful and usually positive effect on
    “Never know who you might meet and want to impress. I’ll go save us three seats. Sadie’s joining us.”
  14. default
    an option that is selected automatically
    The house was likely to become mine by default and nothing else.
  15. scrounge
    collect or look around for
    “I don’t suppose we’ll be able to scrounge up some more by morning,” he said.
Created on Mon Feb 23 08:19:21 EST 2026 (updated Tue Mar 24 14:05:35 EDT 2026)

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